There’s always something to howl about.

Seven Deadly SEO Sins for real estate pros…Vanity

Over next few weeks, I am going to post on several topics. An email a friend received this weekend was the perfect segue into something that I really wanted to point out.

Notice, please, that I am not jumping down Zillow’s throat for this blatant attempt at using people’s vanity to get them to take an action that they otherwise wouldn’t. That’s what marketers DO…online is no exception. SEO is no exception. Eric Bramlett included it in this post Linkbuilding basics. That’s an OLD post. Stroking egos is NOT a new marketing technique.

But this isn’t the first time I have warned people about widgets and badges either. Why do these guys still do it?

Hint: It works

Another reason is: Both my post and Bramlett’s are older posts so it bears repeating. Don’t link to local competitors or those who compete with you locally. Locally related high ranking sites linking to you are GOLDEN to an SEO effort. Google has no way of evaluating if those links are coming from a competitor or not. They don’t care.

For those who may be saying: “I don’t get it.” Here’s the linked e-mail above through an SEO’s eyes…

We like you. We’ve chosen you as a LOCAL EXPERT. (SEO eyes: You have a blog or site that has good standing in the search engines..we want a link…) Click here to get a badge (SEO eyes: link included) to put on your site PROCLAIMING how good WE think you are. (SEO eyes:Yet the message to the search engines is EXACTLY the opposite..it is how good YOU think WE are–hehe–nicely done! My competitor is now linking to me!).

Therein lies the rub. And the lesson, IMO.

Vanity is a Deadly SEO sin. Building your online authority requires you to measure it the same way that the search engines do…by those who link TO you (deeds) and not by being caught up in the praise of flattering words (words).